With a mission to change the face of fast food, Sydney salad a-FISH-ionados FISHBOWL has disrupted the culture after recently expanding into Queensland. The Japanese-inspired bowls are set to open their second store in the Sunshine State, with the flagship Burleigh Heads location launching on Saturday, 6 August.
FISHBOWL Co-Founder Nic Pestalozzi shares that “FISHBOWL Burleigh has been six years in the making, it's a match made in heaven, and we can't wait to celebrate our Gold Coast flagship.”
To celebrate the exciting milestone, FISHBOWL will be offering free bowls for their first 100 Queensland customers, followed by $10 bowls all day. The store will be setting the mood with live music, merch giveaways, free FELLR seltzers and serving drinks provided by local operators Giddy Citizen, Xpressed and Good Happy.
Burleigh Heads becomes FISHBOWL’s newest territory to empower people to make healthier lifestyle choices. FISHBOWL creates a conversation around conscious eating, through the offering of a fresh alternative to the current fast-food options. With the group selling over 10,000 bowls per week of their most-popular bowl - THE OG, it is evident that the local communities are getting behind this positive culture change towards food.
Since launching their first FISHBOWL in 2016 as Uni students, the three young founders - Nathan Dalah, Nic Pestalozzi and Casper Ettelson have struck a chord with audiences, having self-funded their growth from 1-30 locations in the past six years - making it Australia’s fastest growing QSR (quick service restaurant).
For those uninitiated, each Japanese-inspired FISHBOWL has a customisable base and extras. To maximise nutrition, the FISHBOWL menu is centred around vegetables, alongside sustainably sourced seafood, meat or vegan options. Their food ethos ensures everything is fresh, delicious, ethically sourced, and made from scratch each day. Their team of chefs carefully break down and prepares nature’s food with minimal intervention and maximum love. The same goes for all the dressings, a carefully selected range of local and Japanese ingredients to produce a delicate range of dressings free from any artificial flavour enhancers and refined sugars.
FISHBOWL grows, where possible, all of their produce on their own farms to ensure only natural ingredients are used, and every store - including Burleigh Heads – has an open kitchen offering a transparent view of the process. Waste from their prep kitchens is also sent back to these farms to use as nutrient-rich compost to assist with the growth of new produce to solidify their sustainability efforts. The FISHBOWL founders state that,
“we can all contribute to a more sustainable ecosystem around food, and we want to be at the forefront of this conversation and change for good.”
FISHBOWL is not just a venue, it’s a culture that helps build local and community engagement and healthier lifestyle choices. Nic Pestalozzi says "we were founded on the coast, born out of a coastal lifestyle and attitude, our Burleigh flagship feels like coming home or should we say being born again! We're so excited to share this with the local community."
The group has established run clubs with Nike and F45 trainers, facilitated local breathwork workshops, created their own surf team, and regularly gives back through limited-edition charitable bowls. Past beneficiaries include the Gotcha 4Life Foundation, Take 3 for the Sea, FEED THE FRONT LINE, and most recently, The Melanoma Institute through a collaboration bowl with surfer and DJ, Alex Hayes.
Since swinging open the doors to their first FISHBOWL store in Bondi Beach, The Fishbowl Group has grown into four concepts; The original FISHBOWL, smoothie and salad bar SIDE ROOM, modern fine-casual fish restaurant FISH SHOP, and takeaway sister-store FSH MKT. Burleigh Heads will be another feather in the cap of this fast-expanding, health-focused way of living.
FISHBOWL Burleigh Heads is set to open on Saturday, August 6 at 2 James Street. Follow them on Instagram here.
